Women's issues are often unique and require specialized treatment. To address these issues, CEC has established women's programs at Liberty Hall in Indianapolis, Logan in Newark, New Jersey; Bo Robinson Education and Training Center in Trenton, New Jersey; Tooley Hall in Denver, Colorado, and; Community Alternatives of Casper in Wyoming. As with CEC's other programs, the Women's Programs embrace the concept that family is an integral part of the treatment plan. Parenting skills workshops are offered in addition to a variety of literacy classes, computer courses and job readiness training workshops designed to help prepare women to support their children. Other classes include conflict resolution, anger management, life-skills training, communication skills development workshops and motivational groups.

The women's programs provide a comprehensive network of treatment, counseling and alumni services. Women participate in daily Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous meetings, individual and group counseling and workshops on relapse prevention. Services at CEC's women's programs are geared towards two goals: helping residents achieve a successful recovery from substance abuse, and facilitating their successful reentry into the community. Individual programming and program development are assessment-driven. Treatment is provided in a treatment culture model, which is group-based, and where residents are held accountable to their in-house community. The core curriculum for psycho-educational classes is derived from the Federal Bureau of Prisons Drug Abuse Treatment Program model for men. Women, because their treatment needs are different, utilize the Women's Federal Bureau of Prisons Drug Abuse Treatment Program and the work of Dr. Stephanie Covington's journal-based addiction/trauma recovery program for women in the criminal justice system. State-approved therapy groups and an aftercare program are also provided. In addition, CEC uses the Pathways to Change treatment curriculum, at its Colorado and New Jersey facilities.

The Pathways to Change programs provide gender-specific substance abuse treatment programs meeting and exceeding the quality of treatment offered by the best women's programs across the country. Extensive research, collaboration with other treatment providers, and professional experience have been combined to create a curriculum that targets the multiple treatment needs of substance-abusing, criminally involved women. From intake assessment to aftercare, a woman's individual needs are effectively addressed. In order to steer residents towards a successful recovery, all staff must understand the process of addiction and the process of recovery for women. Staff must also understand the ways in which people with substance abuse problems avoid their recovery, and have the tools to help redirect and coach residents towards a successful recovery.

A successful milieu holds residents accountable to their community, which is a recovering community. Pro-treatment behaviors are acknowledged and rewarded, while treatment-defeating behaviors are minimized and eradicated. Staff and residents are given the tools to identify these behaviors and intervene accordingly. run community meetings, and feedback from case managers and other staff. Successful community reintegration is the result of the meshing of a successful treatment program with an educated and prepared family and community (e.g. friends, work, church, etc). A resident's family and community must be one that aids in the resident's recovery, and offers few impediments or triggers. The family must also understand the processes of addiction and recovery, and be prepared to deal with problems when they arise. Adequate financial resources and the skills to manage them are also crucial to the resident's successful transition to the community. The milieu works to assist the resident in setting up a successful transition, and confronts the areas of the transition plan that do not support her recovery.